Monday, March 05, 2007

OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR NEW WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS

NATIONAL POLL SHOWS OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR NEW WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS

Survey of 1014 “Likely Voters” Demonstrates 79% Support for “Strong” Whistleblower Protection Law

A survey conducted of 1014 “likely voters” between February 14-19, 2007 found overwhelming public support for Congress to “institute a strong whistleblower law to protect government employees from retribution if they report waste or corruption.” The poll, conducted by the firm of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, found that whistleblower protection was among the most popular issues for likely voters, with 79% of those surveyed supporting a strong whistleblower protection act, and 41% of those surveyed stating that they would be “much more likely” to support a Congress that enacts such legislation.

The survey, commissioned by the group “Democracy Corps” was designed, in part, to test which issues voters wanted Congress to act on. A copy of the poll is linked here . The whistleblower question is Q. 95, on page 16.

Stephen M. Kohn, the Executive Director of the National Whistleblower Center, issued the following statement in response to the polling data:

“The American people know that whistleblowers have saved taxpayers billions of dollars, that they have risked their careers to expose weakness in the war on terror and that without “a strong whistleblower law” Congress cannot exercise its oversight duties. It is time for Congress, in a bi-partisan manner, to do its duty and enact a comprehensive national whistleblower protection law. This is not a Democratic issue. This is not a Republican issue. It is a good government issue. Only crooked politicians benefit when whistleblowers are silenced. It is now time for the public to demand effective Congressional action.”

The specific question polled was whether the Democratic controlled Congress should “Institute a strong whistleblower law to protect government employees from retribution if they report waste or corruption.” In response, a total of 79% of likely voters stated that they would be “much more likely” or more likely to support Congress if such a law was passed. In order to ensure that Congress acts to protect whistleblowers, the National Whistleblower Center has initiated a petition drive calling for the passage of a National Whistleblower Protection Act. The petition is here